Combination vehicle lamp



Nov.

J. 'i'. MCGRATH CMBNATION VEHICLE 13AM? Filled Aug. 19, 1921 -2 sheets-shea;

vTo all whom 'z't may concern."

Piet/enteral Nov. 6, 1923i,

naar

' fait;

Joan' @Ecrans attenere,- or BLooMme'rolv, ILLINOIS.

appueaaonfmea August 1e, '1921. serial no. 495,523.

Beit known that I, JOHN T. MGGRATH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bloomington, in vthe countyof McLean;

- and State of Illinois, have invented certain Acharacters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification;

This invention relates to a-novel lamp for vehicles, and refers more specifically to a. novel construction of such lamp, meaning. thereby the entire lamp structure, to adapt the same as a combined, tail, parking, and

' mitted through a suitable opening in the spot lamp. yThe structure is adapted for `these functions in connection with a source of light which may comprise the usual electric lamp bulb or a gas burner, and the arrangement of the structure is such as to enable the tail light functions to beeffected4 .both directly from the source of light and from4 an exterior'source of light which enters thelamp casing and is reflected, to be thereafter transmitted through the colored lens" of 'the tail light.

The lamp may also be so designed that the rays fromthe source of light can be transcasing to illuminate an object supported in suitable relation to said opening, as, for instance, the license number tag of a motor vehicle.

An object of the invention is to provide a lamp structure adapted to these various functions, and a further object ofthe invention is to produce sucha lamp structure` that can vbe compactly and rigidly made.

ln practice the lamp casing is preferably supported on the fender of the .vehicle in a way to give ample side clearance at the side of the body for the forwardly directed parking light and to also suitably. locate the lamp for the rearthrow of the light-rays through the tail light lens and through the rear spot light lens.

As shown in the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates one manner in which mv improved lamp may be attached to a motor vehicle.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken eentrally through the lamp casing on the line 2 2 of Figure 3. l

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 2, look Figure 4is-.a section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2, looking in the 'direction indicated by the arrows.

Figui-e5 illustrates another manner lof .applying the-lamp structure to a vehicle.

As shown in the drawings, 10 designates the general voutline of the body of the ve` hicle, and 1l the fender thereof. 12 designates, asa whole, the lamp casing which,as

y Xenea?" ing in the' direct-,ien 'indicated 4by the arrows.

inost clearly shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4,

embraces a front wall 13, -arear wall 14, top

and bottom walls 15, A16, and end walls 17, 17. vThe front and rear walls 13, 14 may be made of4 relatively rugged material, such as cast plates, while the top, bottom, and end wallscan be made of sheet "metal suitably formed at their edges to engage confinin fiangeslS- at the marginsof' the front an rear walls and'extendingtowardfeach other. I

Thecasing, as a whole, thus formed may be suitably fastened together by means of bolts' -20 locatedjat the corners ofthe casing, and which extend loosely through openings in the rear wall 14 and are reduced and thread'- ed at their front ends 21 to engage threaded openings in the front plate 13, .the front vand rear walls being clamped upon the top, bottom, and end'walls between the heads of said ybolts and rthe screw threaded connections of.

the bolts`with the rear casing wall. The

said front wall is provided with an opening A to receive a socket sleeve 22, which supports the base of an electric lamp 23,4the connection between the base and the sleeve being Athe usual bayonet lock connection. A likelenses, respectively, that are supported over said openings 2i and 25, with their edges rear Wall: They -are detachably fixed to the rear wall by means ofv expansionrings 28, 29 which engage over the margins of said .lenses and interlock withthe walls of said IQCBSSBS.

The front wall 13 of the casing is pro- '105 seated in recesses 1n' the rear faces of said A i videdy with an opening 3() which is located Y atone side of the axis of the Ylamp A23 i' f preferably on the.sidecorresponding to the lens 27; Said opening 3() is covered by a clear lens 31 Which'is detachably fitted in a recessed part of the front 'Wall across. the

' necessary here to lbe shown.

Aa reector also Within the casing opposed opening 3 0 by means `of' an expansion ring 32.

33 designates t1-'reflector within the casing that is located in rear of the clearv lens 26 and 'diagonally with respect to the plane of the axis of said lens.

Said reflector fills the vertical space "between the top and bot-- torn walls of the casing, as shown in Figures 3 and 4,' and extends' from near one end L of the casing at 'its' rear side at an angle of.

to' the reflector 33, it converging towards the reflector 33 Ifrom the corner of the casing adjacent to the lens 27 towards the lamp. The two reflectors 33, 38 may be made Yof a single piece or plate`l of materiah folded l A"ierlds downwardly from the front Wall of along a transverse line'34,v-With the parts disposed at oblique angles near its center, as shown in Figure 4. Asherein shown. the plate -is cut at and beyond its angle to provide an `elongated longitudinal opening for thev'lamp bulb and which opens into a lower 'transverse slot '36, which extends to thelower edge of the plate at the sides of the angle line 34; The transverse cut 36 causes the refiector surface to terminate short of the front Wall ofthe casing, so as to provide passages for direct lateral trans lniion of the lamp rays towards the ends of the casing for a "purpose which will appear. ANear the end .of the casing adjaA cent to the 1 'efiector'38 is a second reflector .39 which is disposed partially opposite and in rear of the lens '3l and is obliquely opposite to saidy lens. A A

The bottoni wall 16 ofthe casing is cut away near the. front Wall 13 thereof to prnduce an opening 40 inI said bottom wall, downwardly through which the lightl rays from the lamp may be transmitted to illuminate an external object, suchv as the license plate 41. Said license plate may be ihorizontally supported, as shown in Figure 1, on a bracket 42 which is fixed to and eri-- the casing and is provided at its lower edge Witha flange 43 shaped to conform to the curvature of the fender 11 andcan be at-V tached vthereto by bolts 44. Preferably a transparent sheet or plate 45 is applied across the opening 40 topermit the light rays to. be transmitted downwardly from the lamp through .said 'opening over and across the license plate or tag 41, so as to atraso? illuminate thecharacters on said plate or tagand'also to avoid the entrance of dust and dirt into the casing.

In practice, the vfront lens 31 may be a parking lens, forwardly through Which'light- 1s transmitted from the casing to serve as a parking'or signal lamp tobe observed from the front of the car.

The rays of the lamp 23 are transmitted through the parking lens Blby reflection against the reflector 39 before referred to, located diagonally in rear of said lens 31 at a suitable Aangle to direct the rays of the lamp` striking said reflector through said parking lens.

The locationv of the lamp casing on the fender, as shown, gives sufiicient'sight clear ance to the parking 'light to insure the visibility1 of the .white light emitted through said lens.

In the structure shown the lens 26 is a, clear'lcns and'is herein termed the rear spot lens, through Iwhich the rays of the lamp A23 are directly transmitted -to throw a shaft of light on the roadway in rear of the Vehicle to guide the driver in hacking the vehicle at night time.

The lens 27 is atinted lens, a ruby tint being Ipreferred. Light rays transmitted througi said lens, either directly from the lamp 23 or from a dispersed or diffused body of light Within the casing, constitute. in connection with said lens 2T. a. colored tail orsignal light. Then the lamp 23 is lighted it Will be noted, from an inspection of Figure 2. that the rays therefrom pass, in part, directly through the tinted lens 27 to produce the. tail light effect desired, other portions of the light of the lamp at the same time being directed through the parking lens 31 and the spot lens 26, as Well also as through the opening at), tol illuminate' the license tag. l

Upon failure of the light 23, light rays which are transmitted through the clear lens 26 strike the refiector 33 and are there;

-hy reflected vagainst the refiector 3S, where" by there is produced within the casing a dispersion-or diffusion of a body of light 'in rear of the tinted lens to cause it to stand out as atail light'. portion of 'the light thus transmitted into the casing through the rear clear lens'Qtiv will be directed by mutual reflection of the reectors 33 and 38 rearwardlythrough said tinted lens 27 to intensify the light of said tail light lens.

In Figure 1 the said lamp casing is shown l as supported horizontally on the fender 11. In fender constructions Where the rear end of the fender is low, the lamp casing 12 may be supported in vertical position on the fender 11 through the medium of a modified bracket i5 which is attached to the fender and Which can also be designed to supportv a license tag or plate 46, as shown in Fig' of the casing are located above the plane of the Acurvature of the fender, so thatv thereby ling a casing,

front wall of ,said casing being provided "with a forward throw light opening'and both said lenses are in clear view from the rear and front, respectively, -of the vehicle. When the casing, as shown in Figure 5, is used, the lower end wall can be provided with an opening, such as the opening 40, before referredto, to receive light rays from the lamp 23 that pass .through the passage 37 and through the vchamber below the reflector 33 and plate.

I claim: l. A' combination vehicle lamp comprising a casing provided with openings -and with lenses thereover, one of which lenses is a .tinted taillfght lens, a source of light in the said casing, said lens covered openL ings being arranged to function, one as a forward throw parking lens, and the others as a rearward throw tail light lens and a rearward throw spot light lens, the means within said casing, whereby, when the point source of light fails,exterior light entering the lamp casing lilluminates said tail light lens. Y 2, A combination vehicle. lamp comprising 'a casing, said casing being provided with two rearward/throw light openings, an illuminating lamp, within the casing and forwardly of and inra plane between said rearward throw light openings, a tinted lens covering one of said. rearward throw light openings, a clear lens covering the other opening, andi'l reflectors within the casing diverging from said lamp obliquely in rear of said rearward throw light openings. A combination vehicle lamp compris a source of light therein, the

the rearwall with two rearward throw light openings,'a tinted lens covering onev of said rearward throw light openings,`and,clear lenses covering said other openings, the bottom wall of the casing walls having a light opening adapted to direct light rays upon a license tag supported in fixed relation be- '.low'the lamp casing.

4. Al combination vehicle lamp comprisi'ng-acasmg, a source of light therein, said casing being provided Vwith a forward throw light opening and two rearward'throw light openings, a tinted lens covering one of said rearward throw light openings, clear lenses covering said -other openings, and means thence in rear of the license whereby light entering` through the lens of one of the reawardthrow light openings is deflected thr ugh the tinted lens of the other rearwardthrow light opening to A 'illuminate the latter lens when the source oflight fails.

5. A combination vehicle lamp comprisA ing a casing, a source of light therein, said casing having'a forwardthrow light opening and two side by side rearward throw light openings, saidopenings being covered by lenses, one of the rear lenses being tinted, and reflectors within the casing located with respect to each other .and the rearward throw openings so that light entering thev casing through the rear clear lenses is caused to illuminate the tinted lens.

6. A combination vehicle lamp comprising a casing, a source of lighttherein, said casing having a forward throw lightbpening and two side by side rearward throw light openings, said openings being covered by lenses, one of the'rear'lenses being tinted, reflectors within the casing located with respect to each other and the rearward throw openings sothat light entering the casing through the rear`c1ear lenses isjcaused to illuminate the tinted lens, and another re- Hector within the casing located to receive light rays'fromthe source of light land to relect them forwardly through the lens of the forward throw light opening.

7. A combination lamp comprising a. casing having therein a source-of light, said casing being provided with two. rearward throw light openings located side .by side, one covered by a tinted'lens to constitute a tail light, the other covered by a clear lens to constitute a rear spot light, and means.

within the casing to disperse light enteringv clear lens to illumithe casing through the nate the tinted lens. l

8. A lamp casing having in its front vwall a forward throw light opening and in its rear wall sidewise disposed rearward throw lightopenings, with lenses covering said openings, a source of light at the forward `wall at the side of the forward throw light opening and between the rearward throw light openings, an oblique' reflector in rear 0f said forward ,throw light opening and exposed to said light source, and mutually reflecting reflectors obl'iquely in rear of said rearward throw light openings and con- `verging towards and'extendingy abreast said light source.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my. invention, I hereunto append my signature this 27 day of July, 1921.

- JOHN THOMAS vMoGrRATH. 

